Chapter Forty-Seven

Claire

The woods seemed to go on for miles on every side. She had no sense of direction, and the deeper she ran into the trees, the denser the brush became. Her entire body screamed for rest, but Claire was scared to stop.

She was sure Tristan was close by, watching or chasing her—she didn't know. He could have caught her easily. Maybe he liked to stalk his prey. Either way, she had to try to get away. Part of her wanted to give-up, to lay down on the leaf-covered ground and curl into a ball.

The other part thought of Axel. She knew he would come after her. Save her. But at what cost? His entire pack? And how long would she be trapped with Tristan while he tried to remove her mark with magic. She didn't even know that was a thing.

What if it made her feelings for Axel vanish? She couldn’t even think about it.

The last part of her screamed run. So that's what she decided to do.

The gown Tristan had her wear was torn to shreds at the bottom, dirt covered her from the knee down. She was glad. Maybe she'd find a way to burn it later. Claire stopped near a huge oak tree and rested her back against it, looking around at the vast span of forest.

"Oh my God," she whispered, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. There was no end in sight. If she didn't find civilization soon, she may die from thirst or hunger. There had to be a stream close by somewhere.

Claire bent down to grab the bottom of her dress, continuing her unplanned escape, when a warm sensation tingled against her skin and swirled in her stomach. It wasn't from being overheated or hot; it was nothing that she'd experience before.

It bounced around like unhinged nerves, suffocating her from the inside out.

She rubbed her palms against her skin, trying to stop the tingles and waves of unease, until it finally faded away. She had no idea what it was, but it felt wrong. Suddenly, she didn't feel alone.

Finally, someone said something.

Claire jumped, her gaze shifting around, trying to figure out who spoke to her.

"Who's there?" she asked, her nerves fluttering in her stomach.

My name is Amari, and I've been trying to reach you for years.

Claire stopped and dropped her dress, turning around in a semi-circle. She glanced in-between trees and above her heard in the canopy of branches. "This isn't funny," she whispered, growing scared.

She had no source of weapon or cover for nightfall, and now she had some lunatic talking inside of her head.

I'm not laughing. Whatever was blocking me lifted. I'm your wolf.

Claire scoffed underneath her breath, realizing this had to be one giant joke. "Here you go with this wolf stuff again. Did Tristan put you up to this? Where is he? What are you talking about? Get out of my head!"

She sighed heavily. Have you found your mate yet?

"Oh my God," Claire mumbled, continuing her way through the forest. "It's one thing to hear voices, but to respond to them? That's when you've gone crazy."

The sound of footsteps fell close behind her, and she turned around in a circle, looking for Tristan.

"Little Bean. I've watched you suffer long enough. Come back to the castle with me so we can get you a shower and something to eat. I know you're hungry."

She'd rather eat a dead rat than eat with him.

Claire pushed through the brush, harder, faster, but Tristan grew closer. She caught sight of him over her shoulder, and a shriek left her.

Do we not like Tristan? her wolf asked.

"Get away from me!" Claire shouted, at her wolf and Tristan. She'd rather try to survive a night in the woods alone, rather than deal with the two of them.

Wouldn’t she know if her father was a lycan or her mother a werewolf? How would a wolf be blocked or masked from her? None of it made any sense.

Tristan's footsteps were feet away when she felt her body grow hot. Her back cracked loudly, her bones making a sound that she'd never heard before. It was so painful that it blacked out her vision momentarily, making her trip onto the ground and her back arch in anguish.

Claire flopped over onto her back, the sound of her bones shifting, her insides turning, all roared inside of her head, while her heartbeat thumped heavily inside her chest.

Tristan leaned over Claire's body and his light eyes widened in shock. "Help me," Claire begged.

"Someone lifted the spell," he whispered softly. Pulling out his cell phone, he called someone. The look of fear on his face told Claire her wolf was coming, and he didn't know what to expect. He wasn't the only one.

And once the pain subsided, Claire let out a heavy breath. She shifted and realized everything felt wrong, felt new. She was big … huge, even.

"My God," Tristan said, standing back to look at her. "You're beautiful, Claire Summers."

Claire glanced down at her feet and realized they weren't feet at all. They were paws—giant ones. The snow-white color looked flawless like it'd never touched the dirty ground.

Claire didn't feel in control of her body. The movements she took toward Tristan, the way her lips pulled back into a deep sneer, she controlled none of it. Not that she would go against it.

Tristan looked scared, and she liked it.

"Little Bean isn't fitting right now," he said with a laugh. "How do you feel? You look amazing. You're giant. Bigger than any of my wolves. It's the hybrid. This is what I need to start a bigger, stronger army. A hybrid that made it—that has strong genes."

Claire snapped at him, making him flinch, but his gaze shifted over her shoulder and suddenly something pinched the back of her neck. Her wolf whined and bent down, laying completely down on her stomach.

She felt her eyes grow heavy, and her body relax. "It's just a sleeping dart, Claire. You're okay. I just need you in your human form and not trying to kill me."

I don't like Tristan, her wolf growled. We will kill him later. Once I'm not so tired.

Claire's vision darkened, and she gave into the tiredness, letting herself sleep.

***

When Claire woke, her body felt heavy, like a weighted blanket was draped over her. She groaned, trying to rub her eyes, but realized someone restrained both of her wrists.

She looked up at the ceiling of a bedchamber, the one she was placed in before, but this time, she was tied to her bed. Fear began to take over, and she kicked, sending her silk sheets to the floor and kicking the tray next to her bed with her heel.

"Wait. Wait. Wait," Sarah said, trying to calm her. "You're okay. Don't kick your dinner."

Claire sat up on her butt, both hands chained to the bedpost behind her. "What happened?"

Sarah smiled and picked up the utensils that she'd kicked over. "I don't know, Ms. Claire. I was told to bring your dinner and let them know when you wake up. I believe Tristan wants to be here while you eat."

"I'm not eating," I said. "I'd rather starve than eat anything he serves me."

"Our chef is great," she said enthusiastically

"Then you eat it," Claire snapped. "I need to pee. Go get your royal highness and ask him permission for me to piss."

She knew it wasn't Sarah's fault, but she couldn't help it.

Sarah bowed slightly and walked out of the door. Claire waited minutes before trying to tug at the chains and get away. She groaned and pulled, feeling herself grow tired easily.

Resting her head against the pillow, she felt something stir within her.

Her wolf.

Tristan had been scared of it.

"Can we shift and get out of here?" Claire asked.

The silver chains are keeping us from it, her wolf sighed. It was my first time, and I messed it up. I'm sorry.

Claire snorted. "No need to be sorry. You did more than I could. I need to figure out a way to earn his trust."

Flirt, her wolf said.

She gagged and closed her eyes. "I don't know. I'm not good at it. Axel is the first person I've really ever flirted with. He's my—our—mate."

You did find your mate. He will come for us, she said. Just be patient. In the meantime, flirt because we need out of these chains. I’m going to rip his head clear off—

The bedchamber door opened, and Tristan stopped in the doorway. He stood in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that looked out of place on him. "How was your nap?" he asked, shutting the door behind her.

"Peachy," Claire said.

He chuckled and sat on the end of the bed. "Are you hungry?"

For blood, my wolf mumbled.

Claire cringed, almost vomiting on the words. "For your company."